Beginning After The End
by Jacqlor
Summary: We don't really know what would happen to us in the future and change is the only constant thing in this world. But rest be assured that in everything that had ended, another thing would begin. One-shot.


**I meant to take a longer break after the last fic but found out that my mind could not shut the hell up. So this is the latest product I'd manage to whip up. Hope you'll like it. :)**

* * *

_Mac let his eyes slowly roam around her face, savoring each detail, taking in her warm eyes, her perfectly arched brows, the smoothness of her cheeks, down to her lips that he felt snuggled perfectly against his when he kissed her. He reached up and gently grazed her bottom lip with his thumb, causing her lips to part slightly at his touch, before he finally let his eyes rest at the most inviting window to one's soul. Her soul. He felt his lips twitch, a small smile gradually taking its place on his face, as her own smile slowly crept up her lips at the same time._

* * *

It's ironic how the greatest, most beautiful development in their relationship started when somebody's had just ended.

"What?" She exclaimed when Mac told them the news.

They were in the pantry; Lindsay, Danny, Adam, and her, when Mac went to find them upon receiving Sheldon's call. He tried to come up with a better way of telling the team about the unfortunate news but decided that there was nothing he could say or do to ease the pain.

"Sheldon just called me. Sid passed away less than half an hour ago." Mac repeated quietly to the team.

He had paced around in his office, trying to steel himself before he faced his team so that they could lean on him for support. It had not been an easy task. No matter how much he forced himself to be tough, the news of Sid's demise was too painful to not feel. They had forged a friendship that went beyond the usual that colleagues share with each other. They had been with each other when they went through the most difficult times of their lives. They had offered support to each other, love, concern, friendship, advice, and a joke or two, in an attempt to lighten the mood a little whenever they would meet. Their meeting always entailed a sad environment and sometimes their jokes or happy anecdotes were needed to make the job a little bit easier.

Lindsay cried and clung to her husband upon hearing Mac repeat what he had broke into them a few minutes ago, making Danny hold her and whisper words of comfort. Adam had uttered 'oh God' before leaning his head in his hand. Jo just stared at him, tears trailing down her cheeks, her eyes pleading him to take back his words. When he looked back at her without saying anything, Jo immediately stood up just as a sob escaped from her lips.

"Jo" He mumbled when she passed by him to leave the pantry but he only heard another sob as her response, not even stopping to look at him.

He followed her to her office and watched as she hastily gathered her things, sniffling and sobbing all at the same time. He saw her hands trembling as she put her possessions into her bag prompting him to walk up to her. He closed the gap between them when he reached out and held her forearms in his hands, stopping her from doing anything.

"I'm going to Sid, Mac." Jo finally looked at him, her eyes and nose red from crying, her lips quivering as she spoke.

Mac did not say anything but just looked at her, trying to reach a decision on what to do next. He could see Jo was devastated with Sid's death and he wanted to comfort her. He did not intend to stop her from going to Sid but he could tell that she was not fit to go there by herself. Mac realized that he was still holding her forearms and was about to let them go but changed his mind. Instead, Mac pulled Jo to him and hugged her tight. He felt Jo's shoulders shook against his own before he heard another sob. Finally, he felt her arms snake their way around his back before Jo buried her face deeper against his chest. He slowly ran his hand over her back as he tried to comfort her and hushed into her hair. But instead of calming down, he just felt Jo tightened her hold on him and her shoulders shivered more intensely.

After a few more minutes, Jo pulled away and wiped at her tears.

"Mac, I want to go now." Jo told him, looking at him with a gaze so heartbreaking and yet so determined.

"I'm going with you." Mac said, staring intently in her eyes, wanting her to know that he would not change his decision to accompany her to Sid.

They went back to the pantry to tell the team that they were already leaving and the team could follow whenever they want as long as there were no more urgent matters that should be attended to. The three members of his team nodded their understanding to him before proceeding to segregate the evidences so that they could start working on the more pressing ones after which, they'd go to see Sid one last time.

It took a couple more hours before Sid's coffin was brought to the room. After offering their condolences to the family, Jo gingerly took her first few steps toward the coffin. She could already see Sid. Although he looked a little different now; paler, thinner, and with deeper creases on his face, she knew he was the same Sid who had shared his success to her, and the same Sid who entrusted her with the painful revelation he had not told anybody in the lab yet at that time. She was about to take another baby step toward Sid, when she felt another person beside her. She looked to her right side and saw Mac looking at her, concern very evident in his eyes. She turned away and looked at Sid as she was about to take her next step and felt someone's hand on her elbow. This time, she did not have to look at who had held her elbow. She knew it was Mac. Nobody could touch her like that, as if it was a signature touch that only Mac could perform.

Jo covered her mouth just as a sob came up from her throat when she finally got near to Sid's coffin. She knew about his condition and he had been updating her from time to time but she could have never prepared to see him like this, cold, and lifeless. The ever cheerful, chatty, medical examiner that she had come to love over the years was now reduced to the silent, stoic body in front of her, void of any emotion, repressed of any exchange.

When it was time to send Sid to his final resting place, Mac had stood beside Jo, grasping her hand as she cried silently but uncontrollably. He could feel through her tears, through her hold, how broken her heart was. It was difficult to witness such an event but it was as difficult to watch Jo cry like that. He knew Jo and Sid had gotten close, and when he learned about Sid's disease, he was amazed how Jo had managed to comfort Sid, to support him, to be his friend, his confidante, all done silently, without letting even a single word escape her lips. Mac had only known about Sid's disease when he told him himself that he had to quit his job because he could not perform his job as how he used to. When he told Jo about it, she simply nodded her head, letting him know that it was not news to her anymore. She then told him about how she knew Sid's lymphoma and how Sid had asked her to let him decide when he could not perform his job anymore. She also told him that she willingly promised him that she would not do otherwise and was actually prepared to fight for what she had promised Sid had Mac asked him to retire so that he could rest at home.

It had already been more than a month since Sid had been laid to rest but Jo had not quite moved on yet. He knew how it felt like to reel between moving on and holding on. It was too familiar to him and he did not want Jo to experience all of it alone. He kept an eye on her, not letting her wallow in sorrow alone, making sure that he would be there for her whenever she looked like she was about to revisit the melancholic event. Of all the pain she was carrying around in her heart, she did not let it affect her work and performed her duties as how she had always performed them. But Mac could see the drop of her shoulders whenever she would be at the morgue to check on the autopsy; her eyes suddenly becoming despondent, and before she would go up to the lab, she would scan the room first and let her hand ran the edge of Sid's desk, before she went on to push the elevator button.

At first it was just to check on her, to make sure that she was not alone in her office, crying her eyes out. Well, at least that's what he would tell himself every time he'd catch himself walking to the direction of her office. Then, when it was too obvious not to notice that the grieving part had already passed, he would still go to her, props in hand in the form of case folders, and would start the conversation about the case until they venture out to the most mundane of things, extending to the most unthinkable of topics.

When Christine left him because she realized that Mac was not even thinking of quitting his job in the near future and she got tired of sharing him with his work and the whole of New York City, he had looked everywhere inside him that felt devastated about their separation but he found none. He was saddened by the end of their relationship since after all, she was his fiancée. But he tried to feel defeated, heartbroken, or any strong emotion that he should be feeling, but was disappointed to find out that there were none. It got him thinking why. He was almost doubtful of himself as he tried to justify the lacking of the appropriate feeling toward the break up. He had doubted if what he had shared with Christine was indeed love or was it something forced or taken for granted when he saw the opportunity to do so, given that Jo won't stop pestering him to go out and find someone.

Now he already knew why he had not felt anything resembling remorse when they broke up. It was because all this time, his heart belonged to someone else. It had always been with _her_ but his insecurities, professionalism, and fears stopped him from doing anything. Her being part of his life changed him in ways he could never imagined he could ever be. She brought out the best in him and did not stop in making him realize what more he could be. She opened his heart to a multitude of things and experiences that he had never thought he would have done so if not because of her. But most importantly, the changes opened his heart for her.

* * *

_Mac leaned down a little to gently press his lips on her forehead, making her smile a tad wider. He continued dipping his head lower until he reached the tip of her nose where he placed another feather-light kiss. He slightly pulled away from her to tuck strands of hair behind her ears before he placed two tender kisses on her right cheek and then also to her left. He leaned away again from her although not too far, while cradling her head in his hands. He gazed at the face that would always make him smile and calm him down and admired yet again her features that he thought would never look as perfect had it been anybody else. He noticed the glint in her eyes, telling him that she liked, maybe even flattered, by how he looked at her and he felt another smile creeping up his face. He then noticed the slightly smug smile that was playing on her lips but immediately disappeared when she saw him looking at it. She bit her bottom lip instead as though to stop herself from showing any hint of what she was feeling at the moment. He moved his right hand away from her face only to bring it back to her mouth where he grazed his thumb against her bottom lip, making her release it from her bite. He then moved in and pressed his lips against hers, ever so gently, so tenderly, so lovingly. He felt her hands rest themselves on his waist, only to slowly move their way to his back, effectively embracing him as he snuggled her lips in his, slowly deepening the kiss._

* * *

It had been about a year and a half since he and Christine parted ways, and a little more than a year since Sid's passing when Camilla gave birth to her and Sheldon's first-born. They all were at the hospital, marveling at the youngest addition to their family who was sleeping peacefully in Mac's arms when Danny noticed that Sheldon was wearing a nervous expression. When they all turned to look at him, he broke out in a sweat and Mac noticed that he was fidgeting his right hand that was inside his pant pocket. When Camilla asked him what was wrong, he mumbled something incoherently before he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Finally, after one too many questions of asking him what was wrong, Sheldon took his hand out of his pocket, revealing a small, navy blue, velvet box. He proceeded to kneel on one knee beside the hospital bed where Camilla was sitting and proposed marriage to her, much to everybody's surprise and delight. When Camilla tearfully accepted his marriage proposal, their little boy gave out a tiny sound that resembled a squeal as if he was also happy that his parents were getting married.

In light with the celebratory mood in the room, Danny teased Mac and Jo for being the only ones without partners. Adam cheerfully taunted that maybe it was a sign that Mac and Jo should be together considering Mac's relationship had taken a turn for the worse even if Christine and him had almost reached the altar. Mac looked up to him, his expression blank, not giving anybody any glimpse of what might be running inside his head, causing Adam to stutter unintelligible things as he nervously scratched his head. Upon seeing his expression, Jo chuckled loudly making everybody else relax. It was then that Mac let a small smile slip from his lips, making Adam breathe normally again.

It was almost dark when they left the hospital and Jo had complained rather loudly that her stomach could not wait till she got home anymore and she had to at least have something to silence her stomach's growling. When nobody took up her offer for one reason or another, Jo pouted before waving her hand to her colleagues as they drove off either to go back to the lab or to go home. She was walking down the street in pursuit of any place that could offer her a decent meal to satisfy her protesting stomach when she heard a soft beep behind her before a car slowed down beside her.

"Get in Jo, let's grab a bite." Mac said through the open window.

Jo grinned at him gratefully as she got in the car, her mind already perusing her personal list of restaurants.

"I thought you're going back to the lab?" She asked him after deciding that whichever restaurant he would take her to, did not matter as long as she would be fed.

"It would already be past my shift by the time I park my car so I decided not to go back anymore." Mac answered, glancing at her for a second before turning his attention back to the road.

Jo was surprised at what he said but did not dare say anything. She wanted him to get more rest which normally would mean she'd have to drag him out of his office or entice him with a greasy meal, or just simply theorize with him on how his running on fumes would not do the team any good. But the last couple of years had changed too many things between them. She could not and did not want to say and do such things to him anymore after the outburst that night, about three years ago. After that night, she had felt that things had changed in their friendship and sometimes she would even doubt if they were still friends or merely colleagues.

"Italian sounds good?" Mac asked as he glided to a stop at a red light, his voice piercing through her thoughts.

"Yes! I just want food whether Italian, Chinese or English!" Jo said, clutching at her belly, making Mac smile as he shake his head at her goofiness.

While it took Mac only a few minutes to order his spicy chicken fettuccine, Jo's expression was one of stern concentration as her eyes went back and forth through the menu, obviously having a difficult time deciding which to order.

"Jo, I thought you're very hungry?" Mac asked, after the waiter was asked to give her more time, the third time around.

"Famished" Jo corrected him, her eyes never leaving the menu.

"Then what's taking you so long to order?" Mac asked, confused and amused at the same time.

"Well… I can't decide if I want Bolognese or Carbonara more." Jo exhaled heavily, pursing her lips.

Mac bit back a chuckle but could not stop the grin that had started spreading on his face.

After a few more heartbeats, Jo finally placed her order of Spaghetti Bolognese and sat up grinning at him, her eyes twinkling excitedly. Before Mac could ask what she was so happy about, Jo, unable to contain the excitement anymore, exclaimed the reason behind her grin.

"It's been two months since I last had Bolognese. I forgot that I already had Carbonara last week with Tyler." She said giddily at him.

Mac tried to suppress it but failed when he burst out laughing upon hearing what she had just said.

"What?" Jo asked, baffled at the sudden reaction. She was not used to seeing him laugh like that; it was like a glass of cold lemonade on a blistering, hot summer day. It was refreshing.

Mac gulped in some air before he answered her question.

"You were _that _excited to eat pasta? I thought you're happy because of Sheldon's baby or something else. Bolognese could make you that excited, huh." Mac said, chuckling.

Jo hit his arm playfully as she feigned an annoyed expression but Mac only chuckled more at her making her laugh. After a while, they were finally able to control their laughter just as their food was served.

"He's so tiny and adorable, I remember giving birth to Tyler and he was just like him. He seemed so helpless in my arms but I was more helpless whenever he would move those tiny hands, and even more so when he yawned, until he started smiling at me." Jo shared enthusiastically to Mac, half way through her pasta, her eyes wide with delight and her voice almost quivering with enthusiasm.

He just sat there with a wide smile on his face and although he could hear her words clearly, he felt like her words were slurring when in fact he knew that they weren't. At some point, Jo slowly turned her head around and looked at something behind her. When she did not look back to him right after, he forced himself to follow her gaze and saw a waiter slowly approaching a table. It was only then that he saw the broken glass on the floor, wondering why he had not heard it crashed when Jo clearly had heard it, causing her to turn toward the sound. Then he wondered why the waiter was moving too slow in cleaning up the mess and was about to say something about it to Jo when she turned her head back to look at him.

"So!" He heard Jo exclaimed and it was as if he was snapped back to reality. He glanced at the waiter and frowned when he saw that the mess was almost all cleaned up, the waiter frantically mopping the area where the wine had spilled. He took a sip of water when he realized that the place had suddenly become a bit noisier than a few moments ago before the glass shattered on the floor, while Jo was telling him the story about Tyler, where all that he could hear was her voice.

When the waiter cleared their plates from the table and placed a slice of Tiramisu between them, he smiled when Jo sighed satisfyingly after taking a forkful of the dessert. It did not take too long before Jo polished off the small serving of creamy piece of heaven on her own and after a little persuading and insisting, she let him pay the bill before they left the restaurant arm in arm under the cool breeze of Spring.

* * *

_Mac stood behind Jo and gently swept her hair to the left side of her neck before placing a soft kiss at the center of her nape. He then slowly slid the zipper of her midnight blue dress down, until it stopped at her lower back. He draped his hands on her shoulders and let the dress slide off them, down to her legs, until it pooled at her feet. Still standing behind Jo, Mac wrapped his arms around her waist as he trailed tiny, soft kisses from her nape to her right ear making her close her eyes, his hot breath tingling her. Tightening his hold on her, Mac pulled her closer to him as he started nibbling at her earlobe making Jo moan softly as she placed her hands over his. When Mac released her earlobe, Jo swiftly spun around before lightly pulling on his neck as she enclosed his lips in hers. Mac reveled at the sweet taste of her lips, wondering whether it was enhanced by the wine they had just shared or because of the warmth she was feeling that he could also feel underneath his touch._

_Jo let her fingers lightly trace the buttons of Mac's shirt before she started undoing them, her movements lithe, her lips not leaving his. She then tugged his shirt out of his pants to unbutton the rest of them before she placed her palms on his bare chest. She caressed him, her palms moving in an outward direction, effectively pushing the shirt off his shoulders until it cascaded down to the floor beside her dress. Jo whimpered in protest when she felt Mac's lips left hers but stopped when she felt them on her chin as they travelled down to her neck. When she felt Mac's hands on the clasp of her bra, she let her hands slide down his torso to fumble with his belt, before her lean fingers undid the button of his slacks._

* * *

While in the car, Jo remembered the scene at the hospital and giggled at Adam's awkwardness when he thought Mac was going to reprimand him of what he had said.

"You did not even spare him from being nervous. Poor boy!" Jo giggled again.

"Well, I was trying to come up with a witty response when I looked up at him but then I came up with nothing. I did not mean for him to be scared." Mac defended himself, grinning, as he turned left toward the direction of Jo's apartment.

"You mean, the boss can't think of anything to retort to him?" Jo turned around in her seat to face him, her eyes wide.

Mac risked a glance at her and saw the amused look on her face and the smile that she was trying so hard to stop from showing. He did not say anything for a moment and Jo thought that he wanted to drop the conversation so she stopped herself from commenting and looked out the window. They had just gone through another traffic light when she heard him inhale deeply.

"I don't know if what I'd wanted to say would be proper. I mean, I don't want to offend you or something…" Mac trailed off, leaving Jo, who had faced him again upon hearing him speak, curious.

"But why would I get offended? What were you gonna say?" Jo asked, peering into Mac as he turned to her street.

"Hmm… well… I had wanted to say that…" Mac appeared to be flustered and nervous which did not escape Jo's scrutinizing eyes.

Mac cleared his throat, slowing the car down a little when he saw Jo's apartment building in the distance.

"I had wanted to say that maybe… it's not a bad idea?" Mac winced slightly when he said the words out, mentally kicking himself for not being able to come up with a better way of saying it, his nerves making his statement sounds like a question.

Jo laughed quite loudly but suddenly went still when she realized that Mac was not laughing and there wasn't even a trace of smile on his lips. She stared at him, not daring to say anything until she felt the car slowed to a stop. When she glanced at the window on the driver's side, she saw that they were parked outside her apartment building. When she looked back at Mac, he was looking down at something on the steering wheel, although she knew that he was doing that so that he could avoid her gaze. Jo placed her left hand on the seatbelt buckle but did not release the wide, flexible material that was holding her in place. The smile had already left her face since Mac stopped the car and both of them were now looking through the windshield, not one of them uttering even a single sound.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of silence, Mac swallowed to a dry throat and with a wildly beating heart, opened his mouth to say what he wanted to say.

"Jo"

She heard him say her name with a hint of uncertainty in his voice and slowly turned her head toward him. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears and the air inside the car suddenly felt hot but her palms were cold. He was looking at her, his eyes reflecting the same thing his voice had reflected and for a while she pondered if what he was unsure about was what to tell her or he was unsure of what he was doing.

"I… I've been doing a lot of thinking lately… thinking about my life, my career, what I have achieved, what I still want to do, what I've lost, what I've gained…" Mac's forehead creased as if he was lost on how to continue what he was trying to get across. He looked away from her as he tried to keep his mind on track.

"Too many things had happened in my life. Many things had changed. And although not everything was pleasant, there were a few that I'm thankful for. And one of them… that I'm thankful that came into my life…" Mac swallowed as he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze again.

"…is you, Jo. I don't know if you feel the same when you met me but I'm really grateful that I met you. You brought so many changes in my life and one of them was to open up myself and let other people, let _you_ in. And I think it was one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. I know I've not been that good to you since that night, after I was shot. And I know that our friendship since then has deteriorated and yet I just let it. But please, please believe me when I say that if I could turn back the time, I would never hurt you the way I had. I'm really sorry for that and I'd want to fix things between us but every time I try, I… I don't know… I got scared that you might reject me or…" Mac let out a deep sigh, his left hand gripping the steering wheel tightly. He was not one to talk this much but he felt that he owed it to Jo to let her know the truth.

"I'm ashamed of what I did to you. Of what I said. Of how I treated you. And for not patching things up sooner…"

Jo could not quite believe what she was hearing that although she knew he had almost apologized to her before, it had never occurred to her that she would hear the things that were coming out of his mouth now. She saw the perceptible remorse on his face and tried to say something to make him feel better but he beat her to it.

"Jo, when Christine and I broke up, I expected to be at the saddest point of my life and though I was a little heartbroken… I mean the break up made me realize something. Something that I guess I'd known all these time but too scared to admit to myself." Mac exhaled heavily before running his hand over his face.

"I guess what I was trying to say is… Jo…" Mac's voice had dropped to above whisper as he looked deeply into her, his eyes brimming with sincerity but also with anxiety. He swallowed again when he felt his throat becoming even drier as he contemplated on how to tell Jo what he needed to tell her.

"Jo… all this time… it has always been you." Mac finally breathed out, relieved that he had managed to say half of what he wanted to say.

Jo stared at Mac, her jaw slightly hanging ajar, her heart beating faster with her every breath. At the back of her mind, she knew what he meant but her brain refused to acknowledge what he was trying to tell her at the moment. She tried to block the meaning of his words for fear that she was just reading too much into it and she'd end up getting hurt, so she stayed silent.

Mac was half-waiting for Jo to say something, to react on what he had said but when she remained quiet, his heart pounded against his chest and he felt his blood rushing in his veins. For as perceptive as Jo was, it was not possible that she did not understand what he meant. His heart started cracking under the weight of her silence, thinking that she might not feel the same way as he did. Almost cowered by the realization that Jo might not share the same feeling, still he fought to make himself finish what he had started. The other half of what he wanted her to know still remained unsaid.

For all the things he had said tonight, the second half of the whole equation was the most important. Although it was composed by just a few words, for Mac, it meant his life. He knew that once the words left his mouth, another change would surely come into his life.

"What I really want to say is that… I love you, Jo." Mac almost whispered, feeling his heartbeat slowed down before it raced again. He looked at Jo, waiting for any response and when he did not get any, he felt his heart crashed and broke into tiny million pieces.

Jo heard him loud and clear but even though she already knew what he had been trying to tell her, she had half-expected him to change his mind and turn around at the last minute. When he said those three little words, her heart had leapt to her throat before it dropped to its place again in her chest and started beating wildly. When his words finally dawned on her, she noticed the despondent look in his eyes and wondered why he looked miserable when he had just confessed his love to her. Then suddenly she realized why.

Mac felt like he was about to faint when he felt his breath stall in his chest, reducing his oxygen intake. Jo had not said anything; in fact she had not moved an inch yet since he had told her that he loved her. He was about to open his mouth to tell her that he could understand if she did not feel the same way and that everything would still be okay between the two of them, when Jo suddenly moved. The first thing that he noticed was how her eyes slowly widened at him, and the next thing that he saw was her lips that were curling up at the corner before it finally broke out into a huge grin. Before he could even take in another breath, he saw the glint in her eyes and for a short moment, he was amazed at how adorable she could look when she was happy about something.

_Wait, happy?_ He thought. But even before his mind could process what that could mean, he heard Jo's voice echo throughout his Avalanche.

"Mac Taylor, I love you too!" Jo squealed at him, grinning from ear to ear.

"I… I'm sorry?" Mac asked her, doubted if he heard right.

"Oh my God, Mac, don't you even dare retract what you've just said." Jo responded quite hastily, staring at him.

"No, I'm just… not sure if… I heard you right." Mac stammered, his mind being clouded with confusion of what was happening.

"Oh!" Jo exclaimed before she burst in a fit of giggle.

"I said I love you too, Mac Taylor." Jo repeated to him beaming, her eyes dancing.

When his mind had finally digested this information, he broke out into his boyish, shy smile, his cheeks starting to color into a rosy tint. Jo finally freed herself from the tight hold of her seatbelt, prompting Mac to mimic her action. When they were finally free to move, they leaned in to enclose each other into a warm embrace, squeezing one another tighter as if making up for the lost time when they should had taken the opportunity to be with each other.

* * *

_A soft moan escaped Jo's lips when she felt Mac's hot breath on her skin, trailing wet kisses all over her body. She pressed her head further onto the pillow, arching her lower back, pushing her upper body more into his touch. She shivered a little when a gust of air from the living room came through their open bedroom door and touched the wetness on her skin that his lips had left. Mac felt her shiver and loomed above her as he covered her entire body with his. Feeling the need both their bodies were emanating, he moved her legs with his before he proceeded to fulfill what their bodies craved._

* * *

Jo was about to enter her office that she shared with Lindsay when she heard Danny call her name. She spun around and smiled when she saw the folder in his hand and the smirk on his face.

"Result?" Jo asked, knowing fully well that it was what the folder contained.

"Yep! We nailed this guy." Danny announced as he handed the folder to Jo.

"That was fast. Impressive. Thanks Danny." Jo said, her eyes scanning the result as she turned around to head back to her office.

She had just taken a single step toward her office when she suddenly saw a dark suit from the top of the folder. She looked up from what she was reading and came face to face with Mac. In an attempt to avoid colliding into him, she quickly took a step back but fell back when the hastened move disrupted her sense of balance, letting out a small cry when she felt her body being pulled down by gravity. When she saw the ceiling and knowing that there was nothing near to grab on, she did not move anymore for fear that it would worsen her fall and just waited for her body to land on the floor. But the landing did not happen. Instead, she felt an arm supporting her, trying to stand her up.

When Mac saw Jo take a step back, he knew she would fall when he noticed the slight flailing of her arms, indicating that she had lost her balance. He immediately extended his arm and cushioned her waist, stopping her from falling before he tried to stand her up. Jo had just gotten back on her feet and his arm was still around her waist when she mumbled her thanks to him, smiling. He looked up at her at the sound of her almost shaky voice and realized that they were standing too close to each other. He had wanted to move away from her immediately but he was rendered paralyzed by her warm gaze, her contagious smile making him smile back at her, her hazel eyes and flushed cheeks captivating him, stopping him from making any kind of movement until it was too late.

The sound of Jo's squeal had caught the attention of Lindsay who was already inside the office, making her come out to the hall. Sheldon came out of the Trace lab, ready to give assistance should Jo hit the floor. Adam had just rounded the corner, looking for Mac when he saw him stop Jo from falling. Danny had not even moved yet from when he gave Jo the result. When they saw their boss looking at Jo, his arm still encircled on her waist, his eyes looked as if he was hypnotized, they exchanged glances and smiled to one another.

It had taken Mac a few more moments before he was able to reel himself back in and after making sure that Jo did not need his support anymore, released his hold on her. It was then that he realized the attention the scene had caught. He averted his gaze from his team and was about to walk away from them to seclude himself in his office when he heard Danny's voice.

"Is there something going on between you two that we should know about, Mac?" Danny asked directly, making Mac stop dead on his tracks. He turned his head to look at Jo who appeared to be quite surprised too but was wearing a grin on her face.

Mac did not answer Danny and was about to continue walking when he heard another voice.

"Yeah boss, for a moment there I saw sparks flying." Adam quipped, grinning foolishly.

"I saw that too!" Sheldon voiced out from the sideline, curious of what would Mac say.

To their surprise, Mac did not say anything nor did he tell them to go back to work. Instead, they stood witness on how Mac's cheeks began to blush until it was already crimson. Lindsay gaped at him when she saw his reaction, unbelieving that for the first time, Mac did not push back on their teasing and blushed like a teen instead.

Mac felt his face heat up and turned to Jo as if asking for her help. Jo chuckled at him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay boys, stop teasing him, let's all go back to work." Jo said, motioning with her hands.

"Oh come on Jo, you had the same look on your face." Danny insisted, refusing to let this opportunity pass.

Jo turned to him, eyebrows raised but then she was not able to stop the smile that insisted to be seen.

"You two better spill the beans. The glances you exchange with each other, the smiles and the blushing… there gotta be something going on." Sheldon urged, walking closer to them.

Jo sighed heavily, still smiling, making Mac look at her. When their eyes met, Jo wriggled her eyebrows at him causing Mac to grin wider and blush a deeper shade of red. Finally, Jo let out a small laugh.

"Okay guys, you got us." Jo said as she sashayed near Mac, hooking her arm through his.

"Nothing to hide anymore. We're busted." She said giggling at him.

Mac let out a low grumble before shaking his head at his team, beaming.

"Yes!" Adam suddenly exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

"Finally! We've been waiting for this to happen." Lindsay said enthusiastically.

"Oh man! That's twenty." Sheldon said, taking out his wallet.

"Don't complain, mine's fifty." Danny said, also reaching for his back pocket.

"Fifty? Are you kidding me?" Lindsay widened her eyes at her husband in mock consternation.

"Wait a minute. You guys even have a bet on us being together?" Mac asked, finally realizing what his team was talking about.

"Uh… well it started the day Sheldon's boy was born. You know when I said you and Jo should be together?" Adam said quite proudly, waving Sheldon's twenty dollar bill in front of his face.

"You did not place a bet?" Jo asked Lindsay, incredulously.

"Actually, thirty." Lindsay said avoiding Danny's piercing gaze.

"I'll give it to you later. My wallet's in my bag." She said to Adam who was whistling happily as he accepted Danny's fifty dollar bet.

"So your partnership has extended beyond the lab, huh. So maybe, Jo, you can finally teach Mac to be patient, even just a little? Because when he rushes me to do something I swear it's like having a heart attack or something." Adam rolled his eyes before laughing along with Sheldon and Lindsay.

"Now that you mention it, I think they really suit each other. Jo's patient and Mac's… erm… not so. Perfect couple." Danny said, shrugging his shoulders before placing an arm over Lindsay's shoulders when she went near him.

Jo chuckled at the way Danny described them to be and at how their team accepted their relationship in general. There's only one problem left, and that is Sinclair. But she thought they would just have to work things out with him when the time comes, meanwhile, she was just happy that finally, they don't have to hide their relationship anymore. Jo smiled at that realization and looked up at Mac who was grinning beside her, her arms still clinging to his.

Mac grinned at what Adam had said, his quirkiness never failing to amuse him. Now that he thought about it, maybe he should thank him sometime because quite frankly, if it was not because of the little joke he had dropped at the hospital, maybe Mac still had not told Jo about his feelings. His cheeks blushed again when he heard Danny said 'couple'. Yes. He's now part of a couple, and Jo's the other half.

* * *

_Jo's flushed face, soft moan, and heavy breathing pushed him to the edge, emancipating all of him to her, making him whisper her name urgently. When he finally climbed down from the sensuous pinnacle, he let his lips slide over Jo's as he craved to envelop her lips in his again before he took his place beside her. Mac cradled Jo against him, her back to his chest. He snaked his arm around her and let it rest on her hand. He entwined his fingers with hers, wanting to hold her hand as they drift off to sleep but felt something protruding against his palm. He smiled as he let his thumb brush against the two bands on her finger. Even without raising her hand, he knew exactly how the bands looked like. The one which he had touched first was crowned with a solitary diamond, while the other was a plain platinum ring with a date inscription on the inside, identical to what he was wearing himself._

_Mac nuzzled Jo's neck before raising her hand to his lips, making Jo smile at him when he kissed at the rings of promise and vow on her finger._

"_Happy anniversary."Mac said smiling back at her._

_Jo shifted her body to face him, gently placing her palm on his cheek._

"_Happy anniversary, Mac." She said, running the back of her fingers against his cheek. "The last three years had been blissful."_

_Mac took her hand from his cheek and kissed her palm._

"_I love you" They both said simultaneously._

_Mac leaned in to kiss Jo before he wrapped her in his arms as sleep descended upon them._

* * *

**I felt like I owe these two a lot after what I'd put them through in my last fic, thus the mushiness and a little OOC of this one. Thank you for reading, I hope it's worth your time :D I'd appreciate very much if you'd review this one-shot fic. Thank you again. :D**


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